1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an air bearing slider for supporting a transducer relative to a moving record medium, and to a method for producing the slider by a grinding process.
2. Description of the Prior Art
U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,135 describes a self-loading magnetic head air bearing slider having a taper across the full width at its leading edge. The slider has two rails along its sides and a recess between the rails. The structure of the rails is flared, so that the rail is wider at the trailing portion of the slider than in the portions closer to the leading edge. The structure and working principle is completely different from the design of the present invention.
European Patent No. 0015383 shows an example (FIG. 2) of a similar rail structure to the one described above. Behind a rail taper at the leading portion and at a cross front portion connecting the two rails, the surface of the rails on their inner opposite edges are tapered so that the rail is widest at the trailing edge where the transducer is provided. This design again is structurally completely different from the one of the present invention.
Published European Patent Application No. EP 0129336 shows a three rail slider design in which the two outer rails form the air bearing surfaces of the slider and are of continuous width in that both rails edges are parallel to each other. The surfaces are contoured to be rounded toward the outer edges as well as toward the trailing and leading edges. No departure of constant rail width is shown in this patent.
Commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,734,803 shows an air bearing slider having a rail design that is chamfered at its leading end and that has a leading portion which is wider than an intermediate portion between the leading and trailing portions of the rails. The rail may have a leading portion of constant width, an intermediate portion where the rail becomes progressively narrower to a breakpoint and is then of constant width. Also a flaring toward the trailing edge is shown to make the rail again wider at the transducer position. This design shows no trumpet-like form by which the width of the rail progressively changes on both edges. Also no grinding process and tool is shown for a simple fabrication process.